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Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
July 10, 1943

Dear Aunty Clara,

Now it is my turn to shout hurrah and hurrah and am I glad. Yes sir, the first return mail finally arrived. Gee it was good to read your own handwriting saying you had received my letters. You said that you would read them over and over again but I bet you didn't tie my record for reading yours. It seems that every spare moment I had was spent in pulling the letter out and reading it once again. It's a grand feeling to be actually corresponding once again. Just to celebrate the occasion I climbed the mountain to the rear of our camp. Ralph Phau and I went straight up the steepest side to the highest part in ten minutes flat with a three minute break included.

Burkard brought the mail to me as he passed by Personnel Headquarters this morning and I just knew it was the letter I had been waiting for for so long. After taking a quick look at the date 29th of June, I was positive. You also mentioned in your letter that if the mail delivery was such that that you could only hear from me at least once a week from now on that would be alright. I'll bet you were surprised but plenty to find the steady stream of daily mail coming to you in chronological order, eh? For being overseas the mail service we are now getting is excellent.

Now to answer and comment on your letter. Yes, I was one of the fortunate ones that did not get seasick on the trip. Maybe the old sailings I acquired away back in 1924 when my Dad and I sailed along the west coast were responsible for my good health. I imagine that by now the news of the Millers and the Bernetts is on the way, so I shall not ask again.

We had some swell entertainment this evening. The band played for about forty minutes before the show began and as you already know by this time our band is the tops. One of their best numbers was "Indian Love Song" with Perazzi, the clarinetist, doing most of it solo. It reminded me of the days I used to go over to Clarence's back porch in the apartment building and I would hear Harold Nemec playing that same song on his oboe. This Perazzi I mentioned is a former member of name bands back in civilian life and has been doing most of the master of ceremony chores of late. He is completely un-self conscious and has a subtle humour which goes over rather well. When he gets up to that microphone one thinks he is back in some Chicago night spot (what do I know about Chicago night spots?). While on the subject of entertainment it reminds me of the accordionist that played with the USO unit last Sunday. He had a very contagious smile and was just brimming over with energy. During the course of his repertoire he asked the MC if he would lower the mike (it was made of a limb of a tree and naturally could not be lowered). The MC took the fellows joke seriously lowered it off the platform onto the ground. The movie for the evening was "The Spirit of Stanford" with unknown actors and actresses. It was fairly good entertainment with several laughs.

But anyway today will live in my mind as the day I received the answering letter. And today too was the day that from the top of the mountain I had a perfect view of our valley with its winding river, grazing horses and cattle, our camp site from up high. We could also see the winding valleys caused by the other mountains and strangest of all by looking on the other side of the mountain we could see a valley corresponding to ours. It was the most scenic view I have seen thus far on this island.

Solong,   /s/ Roman   Roman